


Counterpoint

by Ononymous



Series: Hindsight [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 10:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15289944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: When so much has happened between two people, so much pain caused by and inflicted on both of them and many others, what's the best approach to evaluating it? Ideally you should keep an open mind, and not be afraid to have someone capable of objective appraisal be willing to try and delve into the murky depths of memory, emotion and preconceptions, to try and discover the truth. It does not require abandoning your case, but willingness to adjust. A reasonable discussion in good faith, even if uncomfortable in places, produces the best results for all.Or Toriel could literally fight it out with Undyne. That works too.





	Counterpoint

"Just... just keep that tissue pressed against it, the feeling should come back eventually, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, coach!"

A razor sharp grin accepted the gratitude. "No problem. Same time next week?"

Jorge's smile, though eager, was left alone by his darting eyes. "Uh, maybe not next week, I got a... thing. Two weeks?"

Undyne swatted down the irrational annoyance this provoked. He wasn't in the Royal Guard. He set the schedule, not you. Let it go. "Sure thing! You rest up, and come here at your best."

"Will do!"

She watched him gingerly pick up his gym bag and leave the foyer of the building. If she hadn't known, she would have totally missed his limp. It was a good session. Out of all the humans who attended her gym, he was the most determined. That this was only his third mulligan in four months was practically inspiring. The very concept of allowing people to take a break from this was still an alien concept as she transitioned from Captain of the Royal Guard to personal trainer. Not long after she took over the Guard's training Doggo had asked for a break, and her need to assert newly won authority left his tail stuck between his legs for a month. The thought she had overdone it had been imprisoned in the deepest depths of her mind, and it was only her new job that allowed her to dwell on it. She couldn't order people to come to the gym to train. But then they did, they were hers. To his credit, Jorge got this. She didn't normally push anyone but herself that hard, but he was game for anything, at least until the twitching started. She needed more students like him. Maybe when Frisk was a little older.

"Hey, Miguella! Who's my next one-on-one today?"

The dumpy migosp sitting at the table facing the door scanned her appointment book quickly. "I got a call while you were in with Mister Lacroix, Woshua's decided not to come today."

A blue spear added a small hole to the impressive collection in the desecrated yoga mat laid at the front door. "Dammit, why does he never decide these things in advance?!"

"Well Aaron called after that wondering if you could fit him in-"

"He knows I can't! Doctor Drake says he's already dangerously overflexed, if I enable that I could go down for manslaughter. Training until you can't train just means you can't train! God, he needs a hobby. Okay, who else?"

"Uh..." Miguella perused the book again. "I think that's it. You're free til closing time."

"Oh, really?" A yellow eye widened in mild surprise. "Not like me to leave time on the table."

"Well you know what they say. The best laid plans of mons and men."

"Yeah, Asgore always drilled that into me. And come to think of it..." a considerably more relaxed smile than had seen Jorge depart appeared, "I should lay some plans..."

"Undyne?"

"You know what? Blot out my appointments. I'm taking the rest of the day off." In response, Miguella picked up the phone. "Hey, who are you calling?"

Her antenna wiggled in an unmistakably mischievous manner. "As per your instructions, I'm calling Doctor Drake whenever anyone who works here is clearly ill."

"HEY! Nunna that lip!"

"You sure you ain't got a spear lodged up-" Undyne's glare forestalled the retort. "Okay, sorry." Miguella scratched a large X into the day's schedule. "Have fun."

"Thanks! Just gonna check some stuff in the office first. Lock up for me, 'kay?"

Not waiting for a reply, Undyne wheeled round and strode lightly through the main body of the gym, calling encouragement and advice to its inhabitants.

"Lift with your tentacles, not your ectoplasm! Hey lady, I've seen you use that treadmill at fifteen degrees, no backsliding! Cut out that telekinetic lifting, you're here to improve your body. Take it to a private room if you wanna practice your magic. Perfect form Jerry, keep it up!"

Her brain took a moment to process the ineffable quality of her last sentence, and compelled her to double check. Where she thought she had seen a squat off-white monster sprinting on a treadmill, a small actually-white dog was bounding slightly clumsily. Frankly relieved by this, she continued on to her office. The dog barked to nobody in particular.

Undyne's office was rather barren, fitting given how little time she spent in it. Besides a desk, a filing cabinet and two chairs, an MTT™ Year Planner hung on the wall, the electric pink clashing with the neutral beige of the walls. Most of the dates, reminders and appointments on it were not in her passionate scribble, but a neat and timid script that sent Undyne's heart aflutter. Somebody had to think more than two steps ahead in this shindig, and she was grateful to Alphys for stepping up. Taking a moment to rub a patch of irritated scales on her neck - they were really dry, might take a shower before leaving - she planted herself down behind the desk and grabbed the small bundle of letters in her "IN" tray. Seconds later they were tossed in the "OUT" tray, mostly unread, as she took out her phone and selected the contact with about a dozen more 'A's in the name than was needed at the very top of the list. It didn't take long for her target to pick up.

"Hey Babe, got some free time dumped in my lap. You still at the lab? I'm coming over and then-"

"O-oh," came Alphys' disappointed response, "th-that sounds lovely, but I don't think-"

Undyne shifted to an aggressive defense. "Alph, it's not like that, I'm taking a break from working out! We can watch anime or something, there doesn't even have to be any swords in it!"

"Oh n-no! That's not what I mean. It's j-just I got a phone call, and... W-well, you might want to stay where you are."

"Why, what's up?"

"N-nothing serious, but she said it was important. We'll t-talk later, okay?"

A bond of trust needs to be tested at times, and this was one of them. "Sure thing. Load up the stream for when I get home though!"

An unusually relaxed chuckle. "You know me too well."

The call ended, leaving Undyne alone with her curiosity, which under the moonlight of no answers quickly transformed into impatience. Someone was coming round here, it sounded like. To speak with her? Probably. It better not be a cop, she stunk at the diplomacy crap, no matter how much non-physical training she'd received as she grew up. And what was she supposed to have done? Those waivers were totally legit, she had them double checked. That lawyer was expensive enough for a two hour conference, the last thing she needed was a full criminal trial with everyone pointing and yelling. It looked like a lot of fun, but she couldn't afford it.

_Knock knock._

"I plead the fifth!" Then her brain actually heard the knock.

"The... fifth?"

This confused remark acted as a password for the door, which opened smoothly. Unless Undyne had really been out of the loop, the tall figure filling the frame was not from the police.

"Oh, hey there Toriel! Come in, take a seat."

"Thank you."

Toriel had to dip her head to pass the door, the office being one of the few places in the gym not designed for significant size deviations, but she accomplished it with a simplicity that attempted to mask her natural grace, but instead enhanced it. The elegant motion continued as she settled gently onto the other chair, its lack of arm rests the one concession available to her stature.

"Sorry I ain't got any drinks, that's not what we're about here. So, how ya doing? We haven't talked for a coupla weeks, since... uh, the party."

"You mean when I had a nervous breakdown and you had to look after my child for me." For such a vulnerable moment, Toriel sure could skip on the sugarcoating.

"Well yeah," Undyne bluntly acknowledged, "but hey, it was no problem. We had a late night cooking lesson, it was fun!"

"Yes, I recall the state of the kitchen when I and As- when I returned. I do have to thank you again, it was not fair to inflict that on you or Frisk."

"Kid sure was happy to see you were safe. Damn well tried to squeeze the life outta you. And he was standing in the doorway with that smile of his as they looked over your shoulder..."

The elephant in the room took a lot more space than Toriel, and Undyne silently worried she'd run out of non-taboo topics. But then to her surprise, Toriel broke the seal.

"Yes, it was good Asgore found me. I might have stayed out til dawn had I nobody to speak to."

A compliment? In Undyne's experience that had been a lopsided ledger in the other direction. Still, it made the potential route of this conversation feel less perilous. "So, you two talked?"

"Briefly. Mostly he attempted to confirm I was alright, but we also spoke of Frisk. They are truly remarkable, to befriend us after what I did-"

"Don't go hogging the guilt, Toriel, sounds like we all got our licks in, remember?"

A conflicted smile flickered across her muzzle. "Well yes. And now you cook with them. Even without those 'resets' our bonds are highly unlikely. With them they are miraculous."

"I'll drink to that," Undyne didn't say, not having a drink to do so. She still wasn't clear what Toriel was doing here, but she'd won Undyne's attention. Asgore had never said anything, but it was obvious he wanted to talk to Toriel about something that wasn't a scuffle between humans and monsters, and that night had been a golden opportunity. A pity the moment had passed though. It wasn't like she'd like to speak to Asgore again.

"I would like to speak to Asgore again."

What. "What."

From the look on her face, Toriel's mouth had behaved rather like Undyne's usually did, ignoring whatever her brain had planned. But unlike Undyne, she was now working hard to stand by what she said.

"I have been thinking about it ever since that night. This stalemate cannot continue. It is not fair to Frisk, and it is not fair to either of us. We have only discussed what happened once, and it was more like I spoke at him, then the barrier broke and we had no time to reflect on it. If monsters are to move into the future, the past should be properly addressed."

"O...kayyyyy," said Undyne, "and, what, you need his phone number? I understand if you don't have it, here, let me-"

"Thank you, but that is not necessary." Toriel smiled as she took out her phone. "Frisk added his number to my phone months ago. I do not understand why they added so many 'A's to his name, that is not how you spell it."

Whatever that promise Frisk hinted at was, they were determined. "Well I don't have his diary, I dunno when he's available. He'll probably drop everything if you ask."

Toriel nodded. "Indeed. But before I speak with him... I need to speak with someone who will actually argue with me."

Several things clicked instantly. "With me? Come on, when have I-" Come on, said Toriel's face. "Okay, sure, but... why?"

Toriel straightened her posture a little, and took a breath. "There are some habits you pick up on when you... when you are a Queen." Undyne's eye gazed steadily at this acknowledgement of her past. "And one of the earliest you learn is when somebody is bursting to tell you something but is doing their utmost to refrain from it."

Oh. "Oh. You noticed."

"Yes. You are not the first, not even close, and I doubt you shall be the last. It does not bother me. Universal popularity is impossible, so learning to accept begrudging politeness was one of the next lessons. At least part of you disapproves of my views. And I know of one other thing."

"What's that?"

"The difference between somebody holding back of their own accord... and when they hold back on someone else's say-so."

Those copper-red eyes had a piercing quality to them now. Undyne felt totally exposed. So she refused to hide.

"When we first moved to the surface... I was helping him carry a few boxes of stuff. And he was very obviously trying not to to talk about, well, you. And that annoyed me. So I started trying to point out it wasn't all as one sided as you made it out to be. I got about seven words in. Then he looked at me. Well I'm sure you know that look. So I stopped. And then he asked me not to talk about you that way."

A sniff of amusement from Toriel punctuated this anecdote. "Ever the pleaser," she muttered. "Well, I believe the time for that has passed. But while I feel ready, I am not sure he is. So I come to someone who will actually scrutinise me, hold me to account. Recounting what he-" She stopped briefly, closed her eyes and tried to phrase it neutrally. "Recounting what happened yet again does not progress the issue. If he is upset we have talked, he can complain to me."

That sounded like the floor was ceded to Undyne. Well, if it was open season, might as well go down the list. "Well, where can I start? I think when you said to him-"

"A moment, Undyne. Can we move this to one of your private rooms?"

"Huh? Why, I..."

Undyne suddenly noticed what Toriel was wearing. It wasn't the Delta Robes she'd first seen her wearing. Nor was it the dresses she'd taken to wearing once her school opened. It was a loose fitting T-shirt and large sweatpants. Good for manoeuvrability, her instincts said. And more things clicked.

"Wait, you want me to-"

"Be as angry with me as you like. Express yourself however you see fit, without words if necessary. You shall find I can take it. I need to take it."

"No." The nerves in the voice were curious how they got there. "I'm not fighting you. If you don't end up killing me, he will!"

Toriel couldn't resist a chuckle. "Hee hee, I did not expect this."

"Look, I don't fight Queens or ex-Queens!"

"Did you not recount how you knocked Asgore 'on his butt' at the party?"

"That was different, he was training me..."

Toriel leant forward, taking a piece of paper from the desk and scribbling something before passing it back to Undyne. It was a waiver for joining the gym, and she had signed it.

"Think of it as training me. Just do not hold back. I can even pay you."

An extra nice birthday present for Alphys made a compelling argument, but the principles of her standard pricing model won out. "First lesson's always free. Private room two."

Ten minutes later the stray equipment abandoned by the previous occupants of the room had been cleared out, and both women stood apart, personal effects placed on a bench against the wall. Undyne did a lot of long physical stretches, preparing mind and body for what was to come. Toriel looked like she was only preparing one of those. She stood almost rigidly, eyes closed, taking deep controlled breaths, like she was finding her center. Stretches finished, Undyne looked at the padding designed to absorb the impact of magical attacks. From the stories she'd picked up, they would be put through their paces today.

"In your own time." Undyne's voice was measured as Toriel continued her breathing. After a minute or so, she opened her eyes.

"I am ready."

No sooner had she said this when she shifted subtly to the left, right arm outstretched just in time to snatch a spear that had not existed when she started speaking. Undyne returned to an upright pose and summoned another spear.

"You abandoned us."

Any suggestion Undyne considered Toriel a friend was not present in her tone, now full of resentment. The second spear flew through the air, parried by the first. A third and fourth met the same fate. The spear should have long vanished, but Toriel was sustaining it through her own magic. A clever trick. Toriel finally threw it back, but it was clear she didn't normally fight that way, for Undyne swatted it aside with ease.

"The biggest crisis the Underground faced since we were first banished, and you up stakes and flee rather than make a hard decision. And you have the guts to come back a century later and lecture him on it?!"

More spears rained down, but Toriel now summoned a wall of fire to block them. They bounced silently off and vanished. As for the verbal assault, it had no effect.

"And what, pray tell, was the hard decision he settled on?" Toriel called back. "To throw away the hope we'd built up. Corrupting it into something so disgusting I could no longer recognise him, or the place I'd called home for so long." Her candescent shield advanced towards Undyne, who slashed it in half.

"He didn't destroy our hope, he saved it! We were about to wither and die in darkness. Enough was enough, so he said it was time for monsters to go free!"

They were dancing around each other now. Fire and spear dissipating into the padding with muffled thuds. Undyne attempted a few lunging strikes, but with a few deft hand placements Toriel redirected their momentum clear of danger.

"There is reading a speech in a history book, and there is witnessing it in person. He called for much more than liberation that day, he called for war!"

"You can't make tomato sauce without viciously crushing the tomatoes under your fists!"

Toriel actually darted in close, trying to grapple Undyne's arms so she could neither summon a spear or strike her unarmed. "What? Yes you can. in fact such rough treatment makes the sauce have a rough texture-"

In the true spirit of Mettaton, Undyne's leg connected with Toriel's arm, causing her to release Undyne from her grip as she clutched the impacted area. "Ugh, Not my point! He did what was best for us!"

"Did he? Then why were we not liberated decades ago?"

"Huh?"

Undyne reacted to confusion in her normal manner, with bold action. Toriel was not as deft in redirecting her lunging strikes this time, and began to be pushed back. An old thrill tingled in Undyne's spine. Win or lose this was shaping up to be a good time. Her attacks did nothing to sway Toriel from her point.

"Twelve years. That is how long it took for him to collect a soul. Why not then proceed to slip through the barrier and collect another six, if it was time for freedom?"

The rain of spears did nothing to conceal Undyne's doubt at this point, even if they threatend to knock Toriel off her feet. "He... he probably didn't wanna freak out the humans. Slow and steady means they don't gang up on us the moment we leave. And hey, it worked out that we can have peace with them-"

Toriel's frown declared her incredulity at Asgore's supposed shrewd thinking, hiding how unsteady her stance was under Undyne's assault. "I have known him much longer than you. He was not thinking like that. He hates killing, but was too much a coward to reverse his decision. Refusing to either lower the knife or make the cut quickly, maximising the pain for all."

"Ya know, for someone who hates he did it at all, you're pretty ruthless at suggesting how to do it properly."

"You think I would-? I'd never-!"

"Well that much is obvious, you jumped ship the moment it got stormy!"

The retort refocused Toriel's efforts on the fight. She abandoned using her fire to defend, instead relying on agility boss monsters were excellent at concealing to once again catch and parry Undyne's ranged attacks. At the same time her flames were used offensively. And yet they didn't carry much force, pushing Undyne back like her lunges had tried to. As itching broke out over her arms and shoulders, Undyne realised that was the point. The heat. Toriel was trying to dry her out indirectly, thinking she could win by attrition. She was probably right. This lady knew her stuff.

"I'm not saying it was all roses, but everything worked out, didn't it? We're free and at peace."

"At what cost? Six families eternally wounded by him."

Undyne rubbed a particularly dry patch, trying to find relief. "Toriel, those families were wounded the moment the humans fell Underground. They were never gonna get home. Not without killing monsters. You'd rather they did that?"

"Of course not!"

"Then to those families they were already dead, even if Asgore left them alone!" Focusing on gripping her spear provided momentary distraction from how dry she felt.

"But not to me."

Their combative stances melted at these words. Toriel placed a furry hand over her heart as talking grew more difficult. Undyne used her distraction to try and steady her own breathing, maybe things would cool off now.

"I... I could see the fear most of them had. Lost and in a strange place, and what must be the strangest old lady offering them a bed. Some rebuffed me, others stayed for a time. And I got to know them, a little. It is easy for you to speak of them as things, resources we could spend as we pleased. But they had hopes and dreams just as any of us do. I shall never forget the smallest of them. She whimpered as she slept, crying for her father. And no matter how much I tried to comfort her, all she wanted was her father. Can you imagine what she must have been feeling?"

Undyne's fins flicked this way and that. Partly out of irritation, but also in thought. "...yeah, a little."

"And she never found a father. Asgore made sure of that. Every act of cowardice another twist of the knife to what should have been the last scrap of family he had left."

Undyne snarled at the latest accusation of cowardice, but it was tempered by continued thought. "Which kid was she? What order did she come in?"

"Oh, she was the third to fall."

"So that'd be, what, fifty years ago?"

"Approximately. Why?"

Undyne hissed through jagged teeth. "Don't suppose the Ruins ever heard of the Waterfall Carnage?"

"Carnage?!" She covered her mouth in realisation. "You are not saying-"

"Yup. Old Argie told me as a kid." The credence this reference provided forced Toriel back a step. "Yeah, he was never one to exaggerate, was he? Dunno how it was in Snowdin, but in Waterfall it was a rampage. Dust everywhere this human went."

"Do not say that about her!"

A flaming hand bore down on Undyne, but she was ready for it and dodged. The fight was back on. Maybe should have kept that line for another minute to rest up. Keeping clear would have to suffice.

"I know you think all kids are innocent widdle sweeties or something, but that just ain't true. They weren't all totally innocent, you just wanted to see them that way! Asgore should have let them do whatever?" A rather translucent spear was quickly subsumed in a jet of flame.

"Of course not, but they were children-"

"And so..." Undyne's breathing was ragged. "...so were some of their victims! There ain't a Jerk Setting that comes online the moment you hit puberty, some people are born with it switched on."

"But not all, surely. Frisk alone proves it. To hunt them down regardless of guilt-"

" _What. Else. Was there?!_ "

Now Toriel's flames had force behind it. And that damned heat. Pushing Undyne back. Pushing the question back, Undyne considered. Toriel was good with words when she had the answer, but maybe she- _WHUMP._ On her back. Get up. Now, before- damnit, there she was.

"There was compassion!" Toriel raised a flaming fist to strike.

"Like you're showing right now?"

It had been yanked out of nowhere, but the taunt hit harder than Undyne thought it would. Toriel looked at the hand in disbelief, completely abandoning the attack as the flames vanished, taking a step back.

"No, no, that was not what I-"

A low hiss filled the room, and Undyne felt a miraculous relief drench her body. Toriel's fire had been so intense they tripped the sprinklers. It washed away Toriel's dignity as it flattened down her fur, while Undyne's second wind carried her to her feet.

"Ahh, thanks for the refreshment, your highness!" Toriel's anger at ceding an advantage quickly returned to a conflicted look. "I've seen that look before. Guess who?" Toriel's guess was another jet of flame, but the impromptu shower literally dampened its impact. "'Was I doing the right thing'? That's what you're thinking, right? It's what he was thinking. And he was able to do what was best for us."

"You are wrong, he-" Undyne was now on the attack again, and Toriel had to dodge, her soggy arms deflecting a couple of high kicks. "He knew it was wrong from the moment those words passed his lips! And he followed through regardless. How is that commendable?"

Undyne's spears were becoming sturdier once more. Two actually clashed as both combatants crossed hilts with each other, Toriel stealing yet another spear. "A King who thinks of himself first has no business calling himself King. Or Queen, for that matter. They must always act for their people!"

Toriel's grip slipped a little. "So just do the first thing that comes to mind, rebuff all counsel? Acting in haste is worse than inaction."

"It ain't either/or. Though you seem to think doing nothing is preferable to trying anything at all. Was that counsel grumpy it was ignored?"

"There had to be another-"

" **THERE WASN'T!** "

Toriel had actually attempted a kick of her own, but it did nothing to upset Undyne's stance. A growing sense of irritation at dancing around an important part of this whole thing instead compelled her to leap back. Her spear caught on Toriel's t-shirt as she withdrew, tearing a strip from its side, but not injuring its wearer. Both raised their weapons, but neither offered an opening for a strike. Time to get to the heart of this.

"Answer me straight, your highness. Should we have never tried to break the barrier?"

"I am not saying that, but there had to be another way-"

"And he tried to find it. That was Alph's whole job, and you know it. And there was nothing. We'd always need at least one soul, or we'd still be there. No getting round it. If you can't accept that, then there's nothing more to say."

The two spears vanished. Undyne using her own magic to force Toriel's to disperse. Undyne collected herself into a neutral stance, looking considerably less dangerous. The sprinklers chose this moment to finish, just as a small shower of fireballs tried to tempt Undyne into retaliating. But she refused to take the bait.

"I said there's nothing more to say. You disagree?"

"I do, I want to-"

"Then what did it take to free us? If you still think the cost was too high, then I'm done here. You came here for something, and you can't have it for free. I ain't budging on this."

"Fine, Asgore will just admit he shouldn't have-"

"I thought you wanted the truth. Not just validation for what you think. It ain't Asgore you have to convince, and you know it. It ain't even me, really. So what's it gonna be?"

Toriel's hackles were raised. She was drying out quickly, though Undyne wasn't sure whether that was deliberate or a side effect of her anger. Conceding the point was clearly abhorrent, but it was equally clear she wanted to continue making her case. That's what Undyne was counting on.

"...sooner or later... we would need a human soul if we were to see the surface..."

Undyne's razor grin flashed tauntingly at her. "There, was that so hard?"

"...yes."

"Good, that's what I'm all about! Easy is boring!" She leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Toriel's torso to try and suplex her. But she left Toriel's arms free, and while not as directly strong as Asgore, it was more than enough to grab Undyne's arms and break the hold by themselves.

"It did not require war, however." Toriel looked like Undyne was to pay a high price for the admission she wrangled. "It did not require slaughter."

The payment began, and Toriel began to switch it up. Her next magical attack had force, but no heat. The opposite, actually. Undyne shuddered unexpectedly at the cold.

"What the hell, ice? I thought you guys were all about fire!"

"There is an advantage to not relying on weapons. You have time to learn other magics."

Initially the bitter wind was refreshing, but its knife edge quickly made it deeply uncomfortable. Snowdin wasn't this cold. A pang of envy at Papyrus quickly froze with the rest of her as Undyne plotted parallel attack angles, sustained by the thrill this fight was giving her.

"O-okay then," she shivered, "you're in charge of freeing us. What's your big plan? Squat in a mountain til the end of time?"

"Hardly. Humans fell, did they not? If we banded together, shown them true friendship, then perhaps as their lives came to a natural end we could have asked them to donate-"

The modest proposal was cut off by a hexagon of spears erupting from the floor, also disrupting the bitter winds. Not wanting to allow Undyne to avail of this opening, it was Toriel's turn to bear down on her, so that trick risked striking both of them if she revived it. Undyne had other things on her mind anyway.

"Easy for someone who would still be alive by then to say, if we did that how many souls would we have right now? Two? Three? Maybe four? We'd probably have to wait another hundred years if Frisk watched their diet!" She tried to thrust another spear at Toriel, but slipped on a patch of ice that had not been there a moment earlier.

"And innocent people would have been able to live their lives in peace. We wouldn't have to prove every preconception the humans had of us."

"Don't fall back on wishful thinking, I already told you they weren't all innocent!" Her precision movements were rendered flailing and ineffective by the cold.

"They were not all guilty either. It was not a true war, not matter how he framed it."

Abandoning the attack for now, Undyne briefly shook her head. "Was the first war really that bad? Did the humans whoop us so hard it left you afraid to ever raise a hand in anger again?"

"...it was one sided, yes. Perhaps tenfold as many monsters could have carried the day, but even that is doubtful. But our defeat was not why I opposed future hostilities."

As she mused on those truly archaic memories, she had neglected to maintain her magics. Regaining terrain she was used to, Undyne moved in, and another grappling spat began, using her training with Asgore to keep Toriel's strength from regaining the upper hand. "So what was it, then?"

Toriel struggled valiantly, but Undyne was quickly locking down her avenues. "I... I feared we would win."

The answer disarmed Undyne, as she released Toriel in surprise. No counterattack came, so Undyne decided to probe. "What?!"

"I am not sure who I felt more sorry for. Those who lost their lives, or those who kept them by killing. You are young and eager, so you do not understand, but for monsters especially killing leaves a scar on our soul. Even setting aside our banishment, many survivors were never the same. Even Asgore. Even... myself."

Undyne regarded her opponent as Toriel's posture betrayed a familiar slump of pain, one often seen in a man when he thought he was alone, but it felt much more ancient than Asgore's. Whatever she'd done way back then, there were maybe two monsters alive she'd confided in. With a deep breath Toriel rallied, burying that pain under her dignity.

"It took decades to recover from those wounds, and many never did. We both knew the cost of taking up arms again. To war with humanity would require total victory. The death of our bodies or the death of our souls as we rule a barren land. We both knew this. And he chose to expose all of us to it once again!"

Undyne's preferred rebuttal soared past Toriel's head and into the padded wall. They kept their distance for now, Undyne keeping Toriel pinned behind a wall of icy wind with a deluge of spears.

"He took the burden himself! Nobody else had to do it."

"Had he listened, no-one would have had to take that burden at all!"

"And maybe nobody had to do it if you bothered to stay!"

Shards of ice now behaved like Undyne's spears as Toriel finally returned fire, forcing Undyne to swat them aside. "What is that supposed to mean?" came the haughty probe to the claim.

"...six times."

The words had the desired effect in getting under Toriel's skin. "Wh-what?" And then the undesired effect in both wind and icicles trying to knock Undyne back.

"You think I didn't talk to him about Frisk and that reset stuff? I know I'm a bundle of rage sometimes, but what I did bugged me too, no matter what the kid says. So I told him about it. And he told me what he told you. He beat Frisk six times. Frisk didn't stop him. You did!"

The wind grew curiously hot, as an icicle crashed into Undyne. Whether a deliberate tactic of mixing magic or a sign of confusion, Undyne couldn't tell. But Toriel's verbal response confirmed the latter existed.

"That... that was to protect Frisk. I do not know why I failed to arrive before then, but-"

"And the moment you turned up, he listened. He-" Undyne launched a spear to catch another ice shard in mid air. "He listened to all of us! He'd have stopped the moment you turned up no matter when it happened, be it a minute earlier, a day earlier or a decade. You think maybe if not killing humans was so damn important to you could could have come a little earlier? Or not left at all? This fight's been totally awesome today. Where was that moxy when the war began?"

The faintest of compliments helped to soften Toriel up before the big question. It brought about yet another lull in the struggle as Undyne allowed her the room to respond.

"Nobody... nobody would listen to me. They were in a frenzy..."

"You think I listen to Alphys when I'm pumped up about something? She has to grab me or cause an explosion or something before I'll listen again. Actions speak louder than words. Didn't it occur to you to force him to back down?"

"I... to fight for peace... is that really peace?"

"Sure is! Look, you're passionate about it, I totally respect passion for your ideals. Asgore's like that too, just for gardening and stuff. But ideals you're not willing to fight for are doomed the moment someone else fights for theirs."

"And Asgore is just as guilty of that. By refusing to change his mind-"

"Maybe. Of course he's not perfect. Picked me for the Royal Guard, didn't he? And hey! You know you can fight to protect something too, right?" A reluctant nod. "So where were you when those kids met him? How can you call yourself their protector when you refused to lift a finger? What was that all about?"

"They had made their decision, I had no right to-"

"So you only protect whoever turns up in your living room and no more? That's not much of a hill to die on. Come on, if you gave a crap about them, why did it take Frisk to make you act? You can't have been that blind about what you were sending them out to."

"I... You know what I suffered, I could not bear to see another child hurt-"

"They wouldn't have been, if you were there. Even if Asgore could screw up his courage to attack - and fat chance of that - you'd have flattened him. I know that now. So what was it really about?"

Toriel seemed to crumple as this question struck home, carefully lowering onto her knees as the twitches of prepared answers were smothered as she took the time to truly think about it. For the first time, one combatant had the upper hand both physically and rhetorically.

"To see him... to see the warped figure I once... who broke my heart again and again over the years with every child he... Hadn't I seen enough that day?"

"No." The conclusion was decisive and without reservation, but not without thought. "I don't think you saw nearly enough. He doesn't look warped to me."

The conviction in Undyne's voice was an extra slap, as Toriel seized and twisted her floppy ears trying to reconcile disparate components of her mental state which had not been in accord.

"I... I let them... all for a grudge? Oh God, even before Frisk, I..."

The upper hand felt good in Undyne's grasp. She could probably call this whole thing a win if she left it at that. But Toriel had asked her not to hold back, and she was going to oblige.

"One last thing I wanna know, your highness. Like you said, I know what you lost. We all know the story of... of the Prince." The reminder had surprisingly little effect on Toriel. "How did that not move you to act? Isn't a desire to get even natural? Why would you abandon his memory instead?"

The jaws of defeat suddenly became rather picky about what they ate. Those copper eyes were boring into Undyne, completely focused. The temperature was rising again.

"Abandon... his memory? _I_ abandoned him?! _**ASGORE BETRAYED HIM!!!**_ "

Undyne's natural agility gave her just enough time to deflect the first blast with a spear, but she was not given the opportunity to do anything else, as another blast kept her pinned. Back to flames now. Ice must require a calmness Undyne had managed to shatter. There was no grace or shape to the fire now. It was pure force. Pure rage.

"You." _BAM._ "Think." _BAM._ "You." _BAM._ " **Know!** " _BAM._

One knee, then both. It was Undyne's turn to crumple, though the source was far more obvious now. Toriel could not let up even if she wanted to, not until she would be heard out. The time for debate was past. It didn't take long. With a final effort Undyne's wavering spear shattered, and she was knocked onto her back, winded but otherwise fine. Even with all that rage Toriel had kept the temperature in control. Not that the flames threatening to melt the anti-magic padding showed it. Maybe she remembered the sprinkler system. The fire dancing around her was insolent, begging to charge forward.

"You know the story, but you do not know the truth! We found them both in the garden, just in time to... to be too late. H-he was still clutching them, trying to protect them. He might have b-been keeping them warm. His wounds were terrible, but we could feel his power. Those wounds should not have happened with that power. And then he looked up at us, and... and h-his last words. ' _They thought I hurt Chara. I didn't hurt anybody back. I'm sorry._ ' And then he... th-then he..."

For a moment Undyne knew darkness before her eye adjusted to the regular lighting. The flames had vanished, and the contorted rage bearing down on her was replaced with the ceiling. With the sound of a soft flumph, Undyne decided Toriel had collapsed onto the mat as well, and braved getting up to confirm this. She looked harmless now, sobbing after revealing something Undyne quickly realised she'd never told anyone, not even since the barrier broke. And then Toriel rallied to finish her point.

"I sh-shall never know what they d-did to him. I am torn about whether I w-want to. But he never fought back. Those humans never knew it, but they knew m-monsters at their best when they met him. It... it was the only thing that could comfort me, that my child had shown such strength. S-strength his father trampled over, t-tore asunder, besmirching the wonderful example and... sinking to their level... Insulting his memory... as if a statue could ever honour what h-he tried to tell us... what I ignored myself when Frisk would not... Oh. I d-did..."

The sobs returned, but no more words were needed. Undyne wasn't sure how a judge would call this match, but she had enough gumption that it no longer mattered. The final aspect of her case laid out and looking cracked, Toriel continued to sob, that final connection of disparate thoughts helping rip off the clumsy scabs over her anger, allowing it to settle properly. Eventually something touched her arm, so clearing her eyes she looked over to see Undyne had laid down beside, and was holding her hand. Her yellow eye gave nothing away, normally a sign there was nothing to give.

"He knows."

Toriel swallowed to restore her speech. "I am sorry?"

"Asgore knows he... betrayed Asriel." Undyne wasn't sure what Toriel's surprise was aimed at, but continued. "It wasn't long after I started training with him. God, maybe fifteen years now."

"Fifteen years..." Toriel's eyes darted around. "You mean..."

"Yeah. One day I got drafted as a messenger, help the guard order civvies indoors and to stay there, keep them safe, 'cuz there was some kind of emergency. I got stuck with Hotland. Lucky me. Anyway, no sooner had I finished than the all clear came down. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so from my point of view I'd shrivelled up among the lava for nothing. So I went to give Asgore a piece of my mind. And I opened his door and... well what I just heard now reminded me of it."

"He... was crying?"

"Course he did, big softie. Well he didn't notice me, but I saw him slumped over something on the table, clutching it tight, talking to... wait, was he talking to anyone?" She scratched her head. "Eh, doesn't matter. But I could hear him, between sobs. 'Asriel. I'm sorry, Son.' Over and over again. He looked so lonely. So I walked up and patted his hand. I don't think he noticed, he was so upset, but the sobbing got softer. And, uh, he fell asleep after that, still clutching it. I never asked if he remembered, especially once the story of what happened came out. That's how I knew he was an awesome King, he was giving us hope while not touching a drop himself. And maybe... maybe I could take that burden from him when the time came. Nobody should have to bear all that alone."

Toriel was still breathing unsteadily, but she was also judging this story fairly. "...he would never have let you."

"Heh, yeah. Why do you think I went after Frisk so hard? It'd be a fat accomplice or whatever you call it."

They looked at each other. Time was perhaps too respectful in not letting them know for how long. A chuckle gently broke up the silence.

"He really can be pathetic sometimes."

Yellow teeth grinned. "Yeah."

"And so can I. My encounter with Frisk forced me to think of it. You forced me to accept it. I... I did abandon him."

Undyne decided not to probe which 'him' Toriel meant. "C'mon, don't beat yourself up too much. As reasons for it go, the absolute crappiest twenty four hours anyone can ever experience are pretty understandable. Not like I'd have come out of it full of understanding and wisdom."

"But I did 'screw up', as it were. I helped make everything worse. And even I failed to honour my child's memory."

"Yeah, well, two to tango as they say. Y'all had a bad day, the worst day, and didn't handle it the most rationally. Not like I would have managed any better." The casualness behind this concession went a great length to hiding how Undyne felt at the effects this inquisition had on her. Her own certainty had been punctured. "And I think no matter how long it took, the Prince woulda liked how things turned out in the end. Even if he'd want a couple of details changed."

A guttural snort which was intended to be a small sniff robbed Toriel of the little dignity she had left. Undyne suddenly found her hand wrapped in fur and squeezed tight. "Thank you, my... my child. For putting up with an old lady's foibles."

Toriel's choice of address vexed Undyne a little. She was also a little pleased by it, though not certain why. "Eh, no problem. You fight like hell. Been a while since I had that kinda fun. Now, I charge seventy nine ninety nine for three month's access if you'd like to join us full time."

Both of them burst into hysterical laughter. Time's patience was running out though, as Undyne's phone vibrated harshly with an incoming text, interrupting the odd accord they had forged.

"Dammit, Alph's probably gonna wonder if you saute'd me or something. I'd better go reassure her. I gotta ask though. What are you gonna do now?"

"You have helped me clear my thoughts, Undyne. Now I shall have to take them to the one who really needs to hear them."

Undyne shrugged. "You know he won't fight back, right? He'll be like 'Don't beat yourself up my precious Floppybuns, I alone did wrong'."

Toriel nodded. "You are absolutely right. But we can work on that." She suddenly frowned, looking a little worried. "Wait, where did you learn that name-"

Her grin widened. "Gerson."

Furry nostrils wrinkled in embarrassment. "Of course. Please do not-"

Scaly blue hands raised in reassurance. "Not a soul. Definitely not Alphys. So, if ya don't mind my asking, after you talk it out, then what?"

"Then what?" repeated Toriel. "I do not know. The future is peculiar like that. I still do not know how to feel about it all, but wherever we stand, it will be healthier for discussing it. And that will be better for everyone."

"Yeah, I guess so." Alphys was gonna jammer and stammer about this for weeks once Undyne told her. "So, when were you thinking of clearing the air with him?"

"Hmm..." a little mischief played on Toriel's face. "Would you like to give Frisk a cooking lesson tomorrow evening?"

This lady didn't beat about the bush. "Nah. How about a piano lesson instead?"

"Just as good. Better even, I never had much talent for it. Now then, same time next week?"

Was she serious? Oh, there's that dumb grin. Suited her actually. Play along. "Normally we're booked up, but I've got a slot for a couples' training session. Bringing a plus one?"

The grin faded. "I know we are just 'messing with each other' at present, but please do not assume anything. The thought of Asgore and I... I'm not ready to contemplate it. I shall let the chips fall where they may. From then... One day at a time."

"Sure sure, sorry. Hey, could you tell him Aaron's been begging to come back in here? I think he wants to flex away his problems and he could use some softer words than I could ever give."

"I shall relay the message. Thank you again."

A sweep of a hand between Toriel's horns resulted in previously ruffled fur from the sparring forced back into its usual position. Undyne wondered whether it was magic or just immaculate grooming experience. The tear on her t-shirt was the only sign of anything askew. Walking over to the bench she retrieved her effects and left the room, looking like she had just finished teaching a class, despite mostly being the student.

And as the door closed, Undyne's arm went limp.

"Dammit, gotta find some tissue to press on that..."

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


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